Method for the induction of arterial-type of hemogenic endothelium from hPSCS

1. A method of inducing differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into an arterial type hemogenic endothelium (AHE) cell population, comprising the steps of

(a) differentiating pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) in a xenogen-free and serum albumin-free medium containing FGF2, BMP4, Activin A, and LiCl under hypoxic conditions for about two days to obtain a population of EMHlin-KDR+APLNR+PDGFRalpha+mesoderm cells without the formation of embryoid bodies or coculture with stromal cell lines;

(b) culturing the population of EMHlin-KDR+APLNR+PDGFRalpha+mesoderm cells of step (a) in a medium containing FGF2 and VEGF, for about two days to obtain a population of CD144+CD43−CD73− immature hemogenic endothelial (HE) cells, and

(c) culturing the CD144+CD43−CD73− immature HE cells of step (b) in a medium containing a sufficient amount of a NOTCH activation agent to obtain arterial hemogenic endothelial (AHE) cells, wherein the AHE cells are detected as CD144+CD43−CD73−DLL4+ HE that express EFNB2 and NOTCH1 arterial markers and MYB gene, and wherein the AHE cells have the potential to produce lympho-myeloid cells and erythrocytes with increased ratios of adult β-globin expression to embryonic ε-globin and adult β-globin expression to fetal γ-globin expression when compared to erythrocytes generated from HE cells without NOTCH activation agent.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of culturing the AHE to a sufficient amount of a NOTCH activation agent, such that the AHE undergo endothelial-to hematopoietic transition and produce lympho-myeloid and definitive erythroid progenitors.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the NOTCH activation agent is a NOTCH ligand.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the NOTCH activation agent is selected from the group consisting of DLL4, DLL1-Fc, DLL1-expressing feeder cell, DLL1-expressing stromal cell, DLL4-expressing feeder cell, and DLL4-expressing stromal cell.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the NOTCH activation agent is an immobilized NOTCH ligand.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the immobilized NOTCH ligand is plates coated with DLL4-Fc or plates coated with DLL1-Fc.

7. The method of claim 3 , wherein the NOTCH ligand is DLL1-Fc.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pluripotent stem cells are embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the AHE cells are differentiated into erythrocytes, wherein the erythrocytes generated from NOTCH activation have increased ratios of adult β-globin expression to embryonic ε-globin and adult β-globin expression to fetal γ-globin expression when compared to erythrocytes generated from hemogenic progenitors (HPs) without NOTCH activation.